Melbourne, my kind of city

On our first day in Melbourne, we met with my friend and local resident, Kev, who explained: 'Melbourne's a city of coffee, food and wine.' Which is exactly why I like it!

We'd been given an unfair picture of Melbourne before we arrived, with other Aussies referring to it as 'Mel-boring' we couldn't imagine what it would have to offer us over the bright lights and beautiful beaches of Sydney. But in fact, from the moment we arrived, we loved it. The city centre somehow more familiar to us than Sydney, with similarities to London, though easier to navigate.

We initially stayed with friends out in the suburbs of the city, which allowed us plenty of time to explore what the surrounding countryside had to offer. Wineries, beaches, amazing vanilla slices, strawberry farms, chocolateries, seafront pubs, rainforest and more wineries. As you can see, there was definitely a food and wine theme to our weekend. What's not to love about that?

The rest of the week we stayed in the centre of town - we were lucky enough to find a reasonable priced hotel on Queen Street, right in the heart of the CBD. And from there we got to know the city, as well as making trips out of town too. 

Two days we hired cars - KoKo and then Kourt - and drove to Geelong one day, and Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife park then Phillip island to see the fascinating penguin parade the other. Watching the resident little penguins return from the sea, cross the beach and waddle up to their young in the sand dunes with 'fish soup' for their dinner was definitely a highlight of the week. Unfortunately we never made it to the Great Coastal Road and the Twelve Apostles, which were recommended to me, but you have to leave some reason to come back, right?

Getting to know Melbourne CBD seemed easier than Sydney. For starters there's a free tram (number 35) which takes you round the city, explaining the different areas as you go, but with locals using the team just as transport and with a lack of air conditioning - not ideal when you're experiencing a heat wave with highs of 45 degrees - we found the best way to acquaint ourselves with the city was the free walking tour. Our guide told us some interesting anecdotes of the city as well as showing us some hidden gems, such as the rooftop bar, the street art and The Block shopping arcade.

With a trip to St Kilda beach, although admittedly we spent most of that day sheltering from the blistering heat in the pub, a Neighbours tour (it had to be done) and a day at the Australian Open - what a fantastic tennis tournament - that was our week in Melbourne gone!

So with a teary goodbye I find myself reluctantly leaving my best friend and the most amazing country behind. And as I question where on earth the past four and half months have disappeared to, I head to the final chapter of my adventure, in Thailand.